Craft-Bamboo Racing wins at Motegi to take Super Taikyu championship lead

24/03/2026 autobabes_iMag AMG & Mercedes, Autobabes Cars, GTAsia, Latest News, MotorSport 0

Craft-Bamboo Racing was a dominating force at Motegi’s 2026 Super Taikyu season opener
The team – runners-up on debut in 2024 – secured pole before finishing in third and first place across the two four-hour races
They now head into round two at Suzuka (April 18-19) as the championship leaders

Craft-Bamboo Racing has ensured a stellar start to its 2026 Super Taikyu Series championship chase at Motegi’s season opener, leaving the March 21-23 event as the championship leaders after claiming third and first place across the weekend’s two four-hour races.

The #33 Mercedes-AMG GT3 driven by Kakunoshin Ohta (JPN), Adderly Fong (HKG), and Sun Jing Zu (CHN) set the tone early, with superb qualifying performances from Sun and Ohta seeing the team secure pole position with the fastest combined time.

Starting from the head of the grid for Saturday’s race one, the #33 showed strong speed throughout, despite grappling with a technical issue which reared its head after the two-hour mark.

A late-race penalty added another challenge, but with smart strategy and clean driving, a decisive overtake in the final 20 minutes secured a hard-earned third place for the #33 and Craft-Bamboo Racing’s first Super Taikyu trophy of the year.

Sunday’s race two unfolded in stark contrast, with the Craft-Bamboo Racing in control from lights to flag.

Starting from P5, the #33 climbed steadily through the field with measured, mistake-free driving. Sharp pit strategy kept the car in clear air, and when a perfectly timed safety car fell their way, the team capitalised fully to stretch their advantage to more than a full lap by the time the checkered flags waved, sealing a dominant victory.

With two podiums and a commanding win from Motegi’s double-header, Craft-Bamboo Racing now prepares for round two’s five-hour race at Suzuka (April 18-19) as the championship leaders.

To watch the racing from Motegi and the upcoming events, visit the Super Taikyu YouTube Channel and the official series website at www.supertaikyu.com

Ryogen Taguchi

Team Manager | Craft-Bamboo Racing

“It was a strong start to the season for the team. We showed good pace from the beginning with pole position, and Race 1 gave us a podium result but also highlighted where we could improve heading into Sunday. The two-race format gave us the opportunity to review and improve overnight, both from the drivers and on the operational side. The team executed well on Sunday, and to convert that into a win in Race 2 was a great way to open the season.”

Kakunoshin Ohta

Driver | #33 Mercedes-AMG GT3

“I am proud of my team for finishing P3 and P1 in the first Super Taikyu round of the season. The driving from JZ and Adderly was amazing all weekend. It wasn’t an easy round for the team with the double-header, but they did a perfect job as always. We’ll come back stronger in Suzuka and fight for another win.”

Adderly Fong

Driver | #33 Mercedes-AMG GT3

“It was a fantastic weekend and a memorable one. I am glad to have ticked Motegi off the list of tracks to drive. It was such a joy to share the car with JZ and Kaku. Craft-Bamboo Racing gave us a solid car and team to execute all weekend. To take a win, first time here, puts the cherry on top of the cake. What a good feeling it is, to leave the first weekend of Super Taikyu 2026 as championship leaders. I am already looking forward to the next race at Suzuka!”

Sun Jing Zu

Driver | #33 Mercedes-AMG GT3

“What a terrific way to start our 2026 Super Taikyu season. Kaku and Adderly are fantastic to drive with and put in amazing performances, and the Craft-Bamboo Racing team gave us a really strong car and strategy which meant we could really race hard all weekend even when things were not going 100 percent to plan. P3 in race one and the win in race two is something we are all enormously proud of, and it is a great feeling for all of us to be the championship leaders.”